The Effect of Poultry Litter Application on Agricultural Production: A Meta-Analysis of Crop Yield, Nutrient Uptake and Soil Fertility

Abstract

Meta-analysis is a statistical technique used to analyze large datasets containing results from numerous individual studies. It appears to be a promising approach in agricultural sciences. This study aimed to conduct a meta-analytic assessment to elucidate the influence of poultry litter (PL) application on crop yield, plant nutrient uptake, and soil fertility as compared to inorganic fertilizer (IF). A meta-analysis based on 116 studies (111 refereed articles and five unpublished data sets) with 2293 observations compared agronomic responses to PL and IF application. The natural log of the response ratio was used as effect size (ES) to express differences in the effects of PL and IF. The variances of estimated effects were estimated using within-study and betweenstudy variation and were used to calculate a weighting factor. A random-effects model was used to test if the ES was significantly different from zero (α= 0.05). Crop yield was slightly less when evaluating PL additions during the 1 st or 2 nd year of application, while significant increases were observed with long-term PL application. Poultry litter influenced plant nutrient uptake with a slightly negative effect being observed for N uptake, but significant positive effects for P and K uptake. Positive effects on soil fertility were also observed with PL significantly increasing CEC, pH and concentration of soil C, P, K, Ca, and Mg compared to IF. Overall, PL can be used as an alternative nutrient source to enhance crop yield, increase plant nutrient uptake, and improve soil fertility.

Impact of Funneliformis mosseae Inoculation on the Growth and Productivity of Gladiolus grandiflorus L. under Different Types and Rates of Organic Manures Fertilization

“…Regarding the interaction effect between F. mosseae inoculation and ChM & FYM, data in the same table confirm that F. mosseae inoculation with addition rate of ChM at 20 m 3 fed -1 recorded the maximum values in chemical constituents values during the two seasons (2.50, 2.66; 0.290, 0.310 and 2.48, 2.71, respectively). Similar results were obtained by Lin et al (2016) they found that, poultry litter influenced plant nutrient uptake with slightly negative effect for N uptake, while, significant positive impacts for P and K. Regarding the impact of AMF inoculation, Abu-Elsaoud et al ( 2017) found that compared with non-mycorrhizal plants (NM), mycorrhizal wheat has a higher content of P, K, Ca, S and Fe in the buds. However, in the root and shoot system of mycorrhizal wheat, the content of copper and zinc is low.…”

Poultry manureshed management: Opportunities and challenges for a vertically integrated industry

“…Poultry manure can be a valuable source of fertilizer because it can contain all essential and some beneficial plant macroand micro-nutrients, depending on types of feed, supplement, and enzyme additions used at a given poultry production facility (Tewolde et al, 2005). Poultry manure has been used as a fertilizer most extensively on forage and pasture crops grown near poultry houses, although it is also an effective fertilizer for row crops and forest trees (Endale et al, 2008;Lin et al, 2016;Mitchell & Tu, 2005;Tewolde et al, 2008). In recent years, interest in using poultry manure as a T A B L E 2 Amount and composition of as-excreted manure from broilers, layers and turkeys modified from Kellogg, Moffitt and Gollehon (2014) low-cost alternative to inorganic chemical fertilizer sources has increased among row crop producers because of increasing prices for inorganic fertilizers, local availability, and the potential for improving crop production through increased soil organic matter and improved soil properties (Adeli et al, 2008;Nyakatawa et al, 2000).…”

Impact of Cover Crops and Poultry Litter on Selected Soil Properties and Yield in Dryland Soybean Production

“…The application of poultry litter increases total C, N, soil pH and N mineralization in comparison to inorganic fertilizer [27]. Poultry litter improves soil properties, plant nutrient availability and plant development, ultimately leading to an increase in crop yield [28][29][30][31]. It also increases beneficial fungal and bacterial populations such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and nitrifying bacteria and suppresses pathogens such as M. incognita [32].…”